PASSPORTS & CUSTOMS

What are the requirements?

• Passport for U.S. and Canadian Citizens.
• No Immunization Needed.

What are you allowed in and out of the country?

• Two liters of liquor
• Chocolate
• Coffee
• Cigars

  TRANSPORTATION TO COSTA RICA

Airlines to San Jose
Serviced by Continental, American, United, Liberia, Iberia, Taca, and Lacsa

TRANSPORTATION IN COSTA RICA

Ground Transfers to/from San Jose:

• Arenal Cahuita Hotels
• Coco-Ocotal Beach Hotels
• Flamingo Beach Hotels
• Jaco Beach Hotels
• Manuel Antonio Hotels
• Monteverde Hotels
• Papagayo Hotels
• Playa Tambor Hotels
• Puntarenas Hotels
• Samara-Carrillo Beach Hotels
• Tamarindo Hotels

Airport Transfers:

• One-way to/from San Jose Hotels
• One-way to/from Mountain Hotels
• One-way to/from Beach Hotels

* Private Naturalist Guide and Transportation- English speaking drivers charge extra
** Private Transportation and English-speaking Driver

Air Transfers:

Travelair domestic flights:

• San Jose - Tortuguero
• San Jose - Quepos
• San Jose - Liberia
• Liberia - Tamarindo
• Quepos - Palmar Sur
• San Jose - Golfito
• Golfito - Puerto Jiminez
• San Jose - Tambor
• Tambor - Jaco
• Tamarindo - Tambor
• Tambor - Quepos
• San Jose - Punta Islita
• Punta Islita - Carrillo
• Charter plane within Costa Rica

Boat:

• Temptress Voyages and Windstar for local Cruises
• Major Ships for out of Country with stops

Car Rental:
Please call us at 1 (800) 938-9767 for current rates and availability.

Taxis:

• Inside of San Jose, typically $2.00 to $10.00, depending upon the distance.
• The airport to San Jose central will be approximately $15.00. Call 30 minutes prior to the necessary departure time.

Buses:

• Public buses are cheap, typically less than a dollar for travel within San Jose.
• While a five hour trip to the beach might only cost $6.00, public buses are slow, long and bumpy outside of San Jose.

Trains:

• Trains are no longer available for public travel.

LANGUAGE & PROTOCOL

• Spanish is the native language.
• English is the most widely spoken foreign language.

CURRENCY & CREDIT CARDS

• The national currency of Costa Rica is the Colon.
• Costa Rica tax is now 13%!
  
  
  
• Call your local bank for the current rate of exchange.
• If you purchase currency ahead of time at the bank or in the airport, you will typically pay a 10% to 20% premium.

Dollar to   Colon Converter Please note that the currency exchange rate displayed here will differ slightly from the exchange rates offered at the local banks and should be treated as an estimate.

• You can exchange currency at the airport in San Jose, but these street vendors will sometimes substitute counterfeit currency.
• The best place to exchange currency is at a bank in Costa Rica or at your hotel.
• All major credit cards that are readily acceptable in Costa Rica

CLIMATE & TERRAIN

• Costa Rica has two major seasons, the dry season and the rainy season.

• The dry season is the most popular for tourist travel and lasts between November and April.
• The rainy season last between May and October and could bring 4 hours of rain per day.
• During the rainy season, some days have sunshine all day long, while it may rain all day on others.
• Typically, the rainy season will bring about 2 to 4 hours of rain per day, staring around mid-day.

• The terrain in Costa Rica is mountainous in the central part of the Country, with several rolling hills and small mountains as you approach the beaches of the Pacific Ocean.
• The northeast portion of the Country is flat and marshy, extending eastward to the Caribbean Sea.